Mexican gonzo journalist J.M. Servín spent nearly a decade as an illegal immigrant in the United States. For Love of the Dollar is a young writer’s tale of ambitions undermined by economic forces, racial divides and artistic hubris. Hilarious and irreverent, Servín worked in kitchens, gas stations, golf courses, and finally, as a “manny" for a dysfunctional Connecticut family. His view of the plight of the undocumented worker confronts as much what it means to be Mexican, as it does American, laying bare a version of the American dream few have had the courage to articulate. From $10.00 Unnamed Press / Nook / Kindle /
A talented opera singer, Gilbert Eugene Rose, moonlights as a drag queen and diva divine, Kiri De Uwana, in order to pay his rent. Like many, Gil is dying to become famous on the New York operatic stage; unfortunately he might get his wish when he lands lead roles as a soprano and tenor in separate productions and is also hired to sing Handel by a dangerous female gangster who is at war with the producer of one of the two operas. Suddenly, happy-go-lucky Gil finds himself stranded in the middle of Mobster Boulevard, aflutter in heels, dresses, and wigs, with only his wits for protection and a new romance for inspiration. $7.95 Kindle / Nook / Kobo /
These stories are funny and serious, outrageous and completely familiar. Readers will meet a cast of characters ranging from a woman who cleans her soon-to-be ex-husband’s house to a woman who seduces her paper boy. These stories are short, but leave readers completely satisfied and reveling in the complexity of our strange lives. A sharp–edged, intelligent, brilliantly written collection of short shorts by a writer at the very top of her game. $9.99 Kindle /
A soulful mix of writing, geology, rock and roll, and lost ancient nations from the author of the award winning historical novel, "Storykeeper." The thought-provoking account of a ten-year search for mystical orbs, mysterious earthworks, and forgotten history will inspire the storyteller in all of us to begin their own journey. "Highly recommended for a wide audience." - Midwest Book Review. Free Kindle / Nook / Kobo /
Story of Charles Hargrove's growing up during the Great Depression. A vivid picture of the time and place, and culture, from which he sprang. His obsession with golf, hardships of life on a destroyer during the Korean War, the courtship and the heartbreaking death of his wife from Alzheimer's. He writes plainly and truthfully of life’s twists and turns, paths considered but not taken, precious victories and bitter losses, pain and dark places, and the simple but exquisite joy of being human. Starting at $8.99 from Ambler Publishing / Kindle / Nook / Apple /
Sometimes the line that separates coward from hero is not easy to spot. When that line is crossed, to what lengths will a remorseful man go to set things right? That’s a question that had never crossed Daniel Tokunaga’s mind until the U.S. government started calling, wanting to know more about his father’s service with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team during World War II. Something happened while his father was fighting the Germans in France, and no one is sure exactly what. At least, no one who’s still alive and willing to give details. $8.95 Kindle / Nook / Kobo /
Baby, You’re a Rich Man follows the story of Kent Richman, a down-on-his luck, B-level variety star on Japanese television who is forced to go into hiding when he becomes the target of an escaped prisoner. Kent winds up at a Buddhist retreat where he embarks on a journey of mishap, paranoia, desperation, and self-discovery that leads to an illuminating showdown as he attempts to right the wrongs of his past. Rich Man offers a unique look into contemporary Japan and the ubiquitous struggle for a place to call home. From $9.49 Nook / Kindle / Kobo /
New Release! ESCAPEs is set in a world where Scrabble (not poker) is a global sensation, broadcast live on ESPN. Former world champs Florence Satine and Buenaventura Escobar meet deep in Argentina’s Tigre Delta for one final game. The words they play spell out how they ended up here, and why they are probably going to die. A bilingual, lexicographical romp across the world, ESCAPEs raises the stakes with each new letter placed upon the rack. $9.49 Kindle / Nook /
Doctor Jane Beekman has seen her dying mother's soul, a vision above the bed - a soul struggling with a decision, some undone task, something in this world too noble to leave. The sight was brief, but it prompts a shift in the doctor's priorities. For in this election year, Jane must do what her mother, an aspiring social activist, would have done. Soon, Jane is deep in the world of Georgia politics, working to make sure her dynamic young brother-in-law Jackson Beekman is elected the next governor in a struggle with moral consequences that may extend far beyond Georgia. From $8.69 Kindle / Nook /
Winner of the Autumn House Press Fiction Prize, this debut collection of short stories by Kathy Anderson is darkly funny. “Disorienting and illuminating, playful and often penetrating, the stories of Kathy Anderson astonish. She has already established herself as a powerful new voice on the national literary scene. The stories contained in Bull are marvelous pleasures, whether taken one at a time or gobbled ravenously.” - The Kenyon Review. From $8.69 Kobo / Nook / Kindle /
Winner of the 2014 National Book Award for Poetry. “One reason Glück has proved so central to American poetry, for five decades now, lies in her remarkable talent for recapturing wonder. The high art and deep pleasure of Faithful and Virtuous Night derive from moments of startling presence, when everyday facts turn magical, when disenchantment itself leads to renewed enchantment. It is a great good fortune to hold these poems in hand.” The New York Times Book Review. $9.99 Kindle / Nook / Google / Kobo / Apple /
Jonathan Perkins had it all: a successful business, a stunning home, a wonderful family. He was on top of the world—until he nearly threw it all away. Meanwhile, Meredith Perkins lived a life of luxury, courtesy of her husband’s hard work and diligence, but was isolated from the realities of the working world. Her days were spent decorating their spacious home, lunching with affluent friends, practicing yoga, and shopping in boutiques—until her husband’s crime turned her world upside down and she found herself hounded by the media and struggling to reconstruct a life for herself and her children. $2.99 Amazon /
“Although gender is never simple in Waite’s book, this inclination to let it speak, in all of its various incarnations, gives the book a great strength and relevance. Clear language makes the poems accessible (a word I use in the most positive sense), and a fluid motion between past and present, between masculine and feminine, makes them complex. All told, Waite has put together a valuable, fascinating, and beautiful first book.” - NewPages. $8.49 Kindle / Nook / Apple /
This is the third edition of The Big Game, a collection of soulful poetry. "Romance" and "Dessert 1 and 2" give romantic recipes in poetic verse. "Abstinence" is a lyric poem about purity and loving yourself in a sex-driven society. "Interracial Dating" examines love and acceptance. $4.99 at Kindle / Books2Read /
The Wehrmacht marches on Stalingrad. The deadly Luftwaffe dominates the skies. “Little Boar” Buzina, a young pilot with the Red Army’s 586th all-female fighter regiment, has just been thrust into the meat grinder. But the German aces who are killing her friends aren’t her only worry. She’s also attracted the attention of a vengeful political commissar. If he discovers her secret, she’ll be lucky if she’s executed on the spot. $7.95 from from Amazon /
In his first nonfiction collection, Thompson muses on different art forms and their relation to his own experiences as an African-American in the post-Civil Rights era. “Clifford Thompson’s perspective is that of a humane African-American male who is wary of any condescending sentimentality or group-rant, who loves jazz, movies, books, and the oddities of daily life. With this selection, he vaults to the front ranks of essayists of his generation.” - Phillip Lopate. $9.99 from Amazon /
Nadeem Zaman’s collection of eight stories set in contemporary Dhaka explore the inner lives of the people who have spent decades working for the same family, in the same house. The daily itineraries must run like clockwork for the rich and well-off who have their own problems, but in Nadeem's stories they appear thin and forever insecure, a byproduct of the real lives being lived around them. "Modern-day Dhaka and its residents are generously represented in this powerful collection. Meticulously constructed in both language and emotion, Zaman’s stories sneak up on the reader and consistently deliver." Publishers Weekly. $9.49 on Amazon / Barnes & Noble /
In Party Girls, her third collection of short stories, Diane Goodman deftly explores community, class and culture through the allure of the party—the desire to throw one, the work it takes to pull it off, and the surprising and sometimes devastating ways these seemingly light-hearted events can alter lives. In these accomplished stories, Goodman invites us to be her guest as she explores the emotional issues that ultimately derail the best intentions, leaving us with the question one of the characters asks: What do people want from each other? $5.99 at Amazon /
A sweet and beautiful story of a man, a dog, and the redemptive nature of a good walk from award-winning author David W. Berner. A man, his dog, and a long walk can lead to unexpected discoveries. In the tradition of many literary walkers, David W. Berner sets out on foot hoping to reexamine his life, look back and forward, and most importantly, through the help of his young dog. $7.99 at Amazon / Author /
All My Heroes are Broke is a poetry collection written from the perspective of a first generation American coming to terms with the implicit struggles and disillusionment of the “American Dream.” Using short, image driven poems inspired by the works of Robert Bly and Po Chu-I, and longer narrative poems that reveal more personal information, Ariel Francisco is a poet of witness and compassion, whose voice is a necessary tonic for these disheartening times. $9.99 at Amazon /
Lavishly illustrated and meticulously researched, Remembering Shanghai follows five generations from a hardscrabble village to vibrant Shanghai to the bright lights of Hong Kong. By turns harrowing and heartwarming, this vivid memoir explores identity, loss and the unpredictable nature of life against the epic backdrop of a nation and a people in turmoil. Winner of 16 book awards. $9.99 at Amazon / Barnes & Noble /
In Chattanooga, Tennessee, we find an unexpected world of haves and have nots, families and outsiders, old hatreds and first loves that unfold in eight imaginatively rendered stories. As these characters rush into circumstances where everything changes, we watch them make bad choices for good reasons, or good choices for bad reasons – with aftershocks that ripple through the lives of everyone around them. $1.99 at Amazon /
Surefooted and emotionally deft, the stories in River Talk introduce an unforgettable array of characters. A woman reconsiders her decision to enter a polygamous marriage; a taxidermist plies his trade to woo the woman he loves; a Somali refugee takes a job at the local mill to support her family. In spare yet vivid prose, Anderson explores loss and desire, regret and hope. From $2.99 at Amazon / C&R Press /
The children of educators at America’s most prestigious prep schools are commonly referred to as “faculty brats.” At nine years old, Dominic Bucca’s music teacher stepfather began sexually abusing him in the campus housing their family shared at one such school. Twenty-five years later, Bucca exposed his stepfather to the rest of his family. Faculty Brat tells his story. Winner of the 2019 Iowa Prize for Literary Nonfiction from the University of Iowa Press, Faculty Brat is a powerful, heartbreaking, and fearless story that takes narrative prose to a new level. From $14.34 at Amazon / University of Iowa Press / Author /
Journalist and armchair thrill-seeker Jan Richman gets a freelance assignment to write about the nation’s old-fashioned wooden roller coasters. Jan takes off across the U.S. to report on a fanatical sub-culture. This picaresque research junket dovetails with the wedding of her Tourette’s-riddled father, whom she hasn’t seen in years. Brazen and stingingly funny, Thrill-Bent zooms from Coney Island to New Orleans to the San Fernando Valley as our heroine learns how to be truly impulsive in a buttoned-down world. Starting at $7.26 on Amazon / Kobo / Barnes & Noble /
